Ghost Pirates vs. Ghost Ninjas Recommended

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
David Hutchison, Joe Wight
Artist
David Hutchison, Joe Wight
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Ghost Pirates vs. Ghost Ninjas #1

By David Rasmussen
18th Nov 07

It’s Halloween folks!
One of the few days of the year where it’s perfectly alright to bribe people with candies and chocolates and not feel guilty about it… now shut up, you talking heads who think everything is a sin! Shove off!
Oh, and Halloween is also one of the few nights when that dark shadowy thing going bump in the night isn’t OJ “liberating” more sports memorabilia (allegedly), or yet another cast member of LOST out on a drunken driving spree.

OK, technically as I finish this up and submit it it WAS Halloween Eve (but it doesn’t seem to matter as I already saw the first commercial of the Christmas season (by PopTarts)). Still, it’s Halloween eve so let’s browse about and see what Antarctic Press gave out this year that wasn’t, you know, Final Girl.
(If you remember my final review of Final Girl I ended up giving that one a 3 out of 5, let’s hope this does better than that.)

Speaking of things with David Hutchison being involved? Here we go again.
After enduring Final Girl (which got a 3 out of 5), and his short story in Gold Digger Haloween Special (which I didn’t like) we’re here with him drawing… just drawing… Ghost Pirates vs. Ghost Ninjas #1.
Just drawing. I think I can take that much. Drawing. Just drawing.

Written by Joe Wight, it actually fixes a few of the flaws of Pirates vs. Ninjas (the title this, of course, is inspired from). I’ll go into that as we go along, by the way.
It all starts off as we check in on the ghost ninjas… actually they kinda sorta seem like undead zombies more than ghosts but the title “Undead Zombie Pirates vs. Undead Zombie Ninjas” is too complex to say over and over again… so I won’t. Anyway we check in to the ghost ninjas and find that they’re out looking to nab this “maiden” off a ship that happens to be passing through the area at this date (Halloween 1811) so that the ninja boss can marry her, and with bride at his side become the ruler of the Dead Sea for a thousand years.

Oh, you just noticed that Mr. Wight actually placed personality and character into the ninjas this time out, that was abit missing in the first Pirates vs. Ninjas and only seems to be crawling into the title with Pirates vs. Ninjas II (though abit late as only in Issue #3 do you REALLY REALLY spend quality time with the ninjas). Now, if you’re wondering, you really can make a choice between Pirates and Ninjas since both sides are now better balanced personality wise and actually give you a choice to make!
Thank you Mr. Wight.

Oh, looks like the undead zombie Pirates (aka Ghost Pirates) are also in the market for fresh living human female flesh for marriage purposes (though I am certain it’s illegal for undead zombies to marry living humans in all 50 states and the 51st State of Hollywood). Everyone is so marriage conscious though, not like the original Pirates vs. Ninjas where they were all fighting over weapons of mystical qualities. Yeah, fighting over virgin females is much more fun.

Said female virgin is riding on board a ship, with a not so effective crew, an Orlando Bloom wannabe, and a particularly strict “keeper” for said female virgin in a lady who likes tight dark clothes, whacking people with a stick, and an obsession with etiquette doing things by the book that could get her a best seller on the NYTimes Best Sellers list… or tight skimpy leather bondage gear and a whip.

Oh, and if I haven’t praised Mr. Wight yet for this, he also got rid of the bastard Montague.
Yes, thank you, no more Montague. Bless you, Mr. Wight, bless you.

Fight ensues, Pirates vs. Ninjas of the undead quality, all to snap up this female… that is until Orlando wannabe saves her and whisks her away for a life that guarantees 365 days from this issue she will no longer be eligible as a registered virgin for purposes of awarding rule over the Dead Sea to whoever marries her. Meanwhile as for that lady with the tight dark clothes and discipline addiction… yeah… guess where she ends up! Go on, guess.

Wow. This was actually fun, and I liked the way Hutchison drew it.
I guess I can really learn to stop worrying and like Hutchison… when he’s not, you know, writing.
OK. I won’t hassle him anymore. Anyway let’s hope Antarctic Press has enough foresight to tag this as bonus content when they release Pirates vs. Ninjas II’s Pocket Manga release, mostly because they’ve been known to miss a beat like that from time to time (no Gold Digger Halloween Collection Pocket Manga, no Gold Digger Swimsuit Special Pocket Manga that I know of, no new issues of GD-Peebo Tales that isn’t rehashed material from the one GD-Peebo Tales Pocket Manga. Need I go on?)

Ghost Pirates vs. Ghost Ninjas #1 is a spot of fun, and if you read through the standard series you’ll find this to be a nice addition to that set (as well as nice for your Halloween reading even if it’s post Halloween and all that). Ghost Pirates vs. Ghost Ninjas plunders the crypts of my ratings for 4, four, count em 4 pieces of eight out of 5.
© & ™ 2007 Antarctic Press

-- David Rasmussen 18th Nov 07